Dear,............,
Hello. I digressed from my personal journey of life narration to apprise you of the situation existing in those days. I will come back to that subject at a later stage. For the time being, I will now progress with my personal story.
Till now, I have informed you that I passed the Matric exams. It was decided for me to take studies in Non Medical stream. In this stream the subjects were, English, Physics, Chemistry and Maths. There were two more streames, Medical, and Arts. Medical stream was similar to Non Medical except that Math was substituted with Botany and Zoology. The Arts was the third stream where a number of subject combinations were possible except of course science subjects. Non Medical subject study would prepare the student for Engineering related training. The Medical stream would mean preparation for studies in Medicine related professional studies. Arts would be basis for rest of all professions, law, administration, education, civil services etc. We needed to have at least a first division to get admitted in Non-Medical and Medical studies. Since I had missed First division by one mark, I was given admission on the very first day when the process started in S.P.College.
College and School studies were poles apart. In school, the teachers were called, master jee while in the college, the teachers would be called Lecturers. The school teachers would be poorly dressed whereas the Lecturers would be in suit boot (polished) and tie. There was no concept similar to a class teacher who would take roll call of the students as in schools. We would go, attend a Lecture and then move on to another class to attend the lecture. In school, we would remain in one room while the teachers teaching different subjected would come to the class. Here in the college, the teacher had a dedicated room for teaching. Here we would go from room to room to listen to different Lecturers. In school, we would get home work and the same would be checked next day in the class. Here in the college, there would be no homework, no assignments. Lecturers would not bother whether we would attend a class or not. Complete independence for the students and best recipe for their downfall and getting spoiled. We were expected to be studying ourselves too on our own.
While I was admitted in the college (first year), there was an advertisement for recruitment for training of young boys and girls in the medical department of the state. The posts advertised were, X-Ray Technicians, Laboratory Assistants, Theater Assistants etc. I applied for three posts on the directions of my uncle jee. I was called for an interview, and within a minute, my interview was over. There was not even a chair for the interviewee in the room. They asked the name and how may marks had been secured in the Matric as soon as I entered the room. Nothing more because it appeared that they intended to recruit only those ones who had a recommendation. I had none and therefore got rejected. This was a sham interview. Most interviews would be like this only. I was looking into a bleak future.
I did not do well in the college. I was shy in the class. The Lecturers were not that good too. I would not dare ask a question to get clarified on my doubts. The Lecturers were not too enthusiastic to encourage us to cross question them. And then I picked up a very bad habit. I got addicted to Hindu novels usually by Prem Chand. I would get them from the library and read them late into the night. I remember some names too, "Nirmala" "Godaan" etc. My parents thought I was studying but I was not. My performance slipped. The course was for two years to clear FSc (Faculty of Science) And at the end of two years I cleared the exams. I passed with low 50% marks. After the result was out, I realised that I could have done better by studying my course books than the novels.
Getting admission to the next course was almost automatic. Here also I was not able to cope up. I was ashamed to seek help. It was a sad situation. This time, I did not read any more novels. In fact I took a vow not to read novels ever in my life as I understood that this habit had undermined my life. I am happy to say that I have been able to keep this vow. In fact I would ensure in later years that my children would not pick up this bad habit too. After two years study, I passed my graduation. I became a BSc pass. Of course with high third division. After the results were out, I informed every one that I had secured a low second division but actually I had missed the second division by a few marks. It was only my younger brother who confronted me later and declared to everyone that I had passed in third division. Whatever, in April 1961, I had a Bachelor of Science degree in my hand.
Bye, tomorrow the science graduate in me will apprise you about how I became a responsible person and shaped my life for a better future.
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